Thanks to Karyuu for helping me out
I tried to tidy it up so that there would be less already discussed points and the sort. Mostly this is aimed towards creating sage-type questing to familiarise the character (and the player) with the history of some specific weapons.
This is also an idea that crosses between some lore- and appraising skills seen in other games (with the exception that the player has to interact for some of the knowledge, or even quest for a bit of knowledge).
Part the One: Possible Sources of Knowledge
Word of Mouth; Sage-type know-it-alls ; Divining Magicks; Archeology/Field Study ; Study/Research
All of these sources often mingle together. Followed by brief, surface-scraping descriptions.
Word of Mouth:
Previous owners usually know something of an item. They might have smithed or crafted it themselves or purchased it from a merchant that might know something more about it. Some being that has an extremely long lifespan might remember a rumour of the time, or even have seen the object/item with his/her/its own eyes.
-I can see a \"Relate the item\'s history? Yes/No\" question
Sagely Types:
They might have some knowledge, depending on their field of study. This can take time and is less intimate than studying historical references on your own. Who knows, a Sage might even have ulterior motives?
-As a rule of thumb, the visibilty or use of an item/object during an event would either limit or hasten the knowledge a sage (or, see below for Study) can glean about it. A legendary sword or suit of armor might be quite easily identified via the texts, whereas a banner or a goblet might not possess the same importance (consider the religion and political value of the item, and how people could have reacted to it).
*Divining Magicks:
I include this only as a prospect, for I have no knowledge if such magicks are ever going to be in the game. Nonetheless I will include some of the ideas on this, as well.
Archeology/Field-study:
Getting a clue from a Sage or a Book might point out a ruin (or ruins) where more information could be gathered. It might not necessarily be a ruin, and could also be a location, such as a rebuilt section in a library, where a chamber has been barred or masoned over. The line between this and Study/Research is often blurred.
Study/Research:
There are books and folklore in almost every world. It is only a matter of dedication and the ability to cross-reference to find out some fragments of truth. Research often incorporates Field-study, so the prospect of having to interview several elders in differing towns within a region for different versions of a story can be a possibility.
*Unsure
Part Two: How could it work?
First things first, the idea could be incorporated with more unique items that have a higher chance of being noteworthy within a world. After that one could start looking for making the history function available for all (or most of) the objects in-game.
I\'ve thought about this for a while, and it is but the skeleton for an idea. Something more capable minds can cannibalise for ideas for the future.
Possible object history context:
Divine events:
Just like Major events (or minor events that fall just short of being a major event). The idea is that a deity has been a strong part of the event, maybe even in direct contact with the object in question. Depending on what lore specialists say about the matter.
- Considering \"Divination\", these events would be blocked from a spell, thus forcing the character to study the age or use other methods to discover the knowledge.
Major events:
Major battles in wars, where the object was in the possession/wielded by a hero, a general or a legendary figure (that includes healers, as well). Cataclysmic or apocalyptic events that wiped out an entire civilisation or a race. Some highly famous duels could be considered major events. Even some events that could be considered \"minor\", but have become legends for the same reason bards and ministrels sing about them.
-Considering \"divination\", these events would be the first for the character to find out if he succeeds in casting a specific spell.
Minor events:
In general, tales that are major in a locale with a few towns could be considered Minor to the whole kingdom/nation/government. When people of less import to storytellers duel, these are minor events.
-Considering \"divination\", these events would be the last for the character to find out if he or she succeeds in casting a specific spell.
Imagine that you would have a blank \"history of\" or similar window on a weapon. You would not immediately know if it has a name, and it would only have a description of how it looks. The person you gain the item from would relate what he knows about it, depending on how the item was gained from him/her/it.
Now, you would have a vague outline of the history of the item, and possibly a name for it. And you would probably want to know more about it? The options are quite limitless, but I see them as something that would consume time. It might even take the developers time out of another update that is more waited for.
Nonetheless, this is a \"developing in-game history\" concept, an skeletal idea, if you will.
The Historical part is very much quest-driven, and maybe even has qualities that some players might consider worthwhile for their characters. This would also include limiting the availability of certain objects from unique (one exists) to sets (x-person/race made x-amount of these items). Perhaps the characters could even scribe books on items they have researched? Not necessarily actually letting the players write them, but at least making scripted books that would unlock more information on the history of the weapon?
However, the \"Named Weapons\" part is the real timetaker, as it would include the Historical Weapons context and add it to player created items. This way, future events could have a similar effect on creating famous or infamous objects for future PlaneShifters.
